Slide fastener



F. JOHNSON SLIDE FASTENER Nov. 21, 1961 Filed Nov. 27, 1959 IN VEN TOR. FEED JOAW50A/ A rive/v6 V5 United States Patent 3,009,226 SLIDE FASTENER Fred Johnson, 4159 22nd Ave. SW., Seattle, Wash. Filed Nov. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 855,595 1 Claim. (Cl. 24205.15)

Wholly separable slide fasteners are frequently employed to join two edges of a garment, for example, a jacket, from a bottom edge continuously to an upper limit, or upwardly to any desired point. Always, however, the joining of the two series of slide fasteners at the opposite edges is continuous, unlike a button fastening, which when a button and its buttonho-le are located between upper and lower edga of the garment can secure the garment edges at a single point. A jacket may sometimes be too warm if closed by a slide fastener from the bottom edge upwardly all the way to a point near its upper limit, yet too cold, or too difficult to control, if not joined across the chest, but with an ordinary slide fastener the wearer has no choice except to fasten it continuously from the bottom to as high a point as seems necessary, or else to leave it unfastened in its upper portions. Moreover, such garments almost never have alternate button fasteners or the like that would enable joining the opposite edges only at a selected level.

The present invention concerns a wholly separable slide fastener having dual capabilities-one, the ability to function as a normal, continuous joining means, and two, the ability to function alternately at will to join the two opposite edges at any single point in the length of the fastener elements.

In addition, the slide fastener of this invention requires no change in the form, arrangement, or mounting of the respective series of fastener elements, and but a slight change in the form of the slider. It is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and convenient to use in either manner.

The invention is shown embodied in two alternative forms in the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the altered form of the slider, according to this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, broken away, showing the manner of engaging the terminal pin of one series of fastener elements with the slider, when joining at a point only is desired, and FIGURE 3 is a similar view showing the point engagement completed.

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of a modified form of the slider, and FIGURE 5 is an end view of the same.

Portions of a jacket at opposite sides of a joint are shown at A and B, respectively. Two tape stringers 1 and 2 are sewed to the respective garment edges in the usual manner, whereby to mount the respective series of siled fastener elements, designated 3 and 4, to such edges. A slider 5, slit at 6 along its edges to straddle the stringers 1 and 2, remains always in sliding engagement with the series 4 of slide fastener elements, but a terminal pin 8, usually at the lower end of the other series 3, and in use engageable within a terminal socket carried at the lower end of series 4, enables disengagement of the series 3 from the slider 5, and reengagement preparatory to rejoining along the length of the complemental series 3, 4. The slider, as is customary, has internal passages of Y- shape, one branch 9 whereof receives the series 3, another branch the series 4, and the third branch 11 which joins and slides along the joined series 3, 4. A tab 7 atfords a handle for sliding the slider. This form and relationship is not changed, and by entering the pin 8 into the branch 9 and on into the branch 11 and the usual socket (not shown) at the lower end of the series 4 the slider will join the slide fastener elements continuously in the normal manner, or permit their complete disengagement.

The slit 6 at the side of the slider that engages the series of fasteners 3-the series that terminates in the pin 8, and which for convenience may be termed the second series-is widened or apertured at 12 intermediate its ends, and somewhat above the branch 11 which constitutes the stern of the Y, to a size which will permit protrusion of the pin 8, and passage of the second fastener series 3. This will not alter the normal functioning of the fastener. However, when point securement only is desired, the pin 8 is entered in the usual way at the top of branch 9, but instead of passing on into and through branch 11, it exits by way of aperture 12, bypassing the point of interengagement at the juncture of branches 9 and 10. FIGURE 2 illustrates this operation. Since the aperture 12 will pass the fasteners 3, these follow on behind the pin, as the slider 5 is pulled up the fasteners 3. The slider also slides along the opposite series 4, which for convenience may be termed the first series, and with which it is at all times engaged, and can be stopped at any desired point in the length of the series 3 and 4. Since the second series 3 has not been guided into the common branch 11, as it must be if that second series is to join the first series 4, the result is that the slider 5 constitutes the only connection between the opposite fastener series; the two series of fastener elements are not interconnected. This result is shown in FIGURE 3.

The same result can be achieved with the modified form of slider shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. Here, instead of aperturing the one slit 6, a separate retainer 15 is provided exteriorly of the slider, constituting a by-pass passage through which the pin 8 and its following second series of fasteners 3 may pass, and yet be retained.

I claim as my invention:

A separable slide fastener comprising two opposite stringers, a first and a second series of fastener elements arranged along the adjacent edges of said stringers, a slider slit along its opposite edges to straddle the respective stringers, and internally formed with a Y-shaped passage, consisting of the two branches and the stern of the Y, the first series of fastener elements being received and guided at all times within one branch passage and the stem, and the second series of fastener elements being receivable within the other branch passage andthe stern, for interengaging the two series, a pin constituting a slider-engaging end of the second series, and enabling separation of the stringers and their fastener elements, the slider, in the branch that receives the pin and the second series of fastener elements, having an aperture between the ends of its slit and located short of the junction of such branch and the stem, for exit of the pin and, following it, the second series of fastener elements, without engagement of such second series with the first series, said aperture being larger than the individual fastener elements and said pin so as to enable the said fastener elements and said pin to pass therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,930,659 Purdy Oct. 17, 1933 1,984,378 Manson Dec. 18, 1934 2,119,352 Puc May 31, 1938 2,174,002 Hyde Sept. 26, 1939 2,224,930 Roseman Dec. 17, 1940 2,372,837 Low Apr. 3, 1945 2,483,057 Levering Sept. 27, 1949 

